Work values: Do they matter?

In an increasingly service-oriented environment, congruence between individual and organizational values with respect to the way in which services are provided to clients requires exploration. This may be the aspect that is the most important predictor of employee response in terms of acceptance of change, burnout or engagement, turnover intention, organizational commitment, and meaningfulness of work. The purpose of this study was twofold: to explore the issue of value congruence from a measurement and analytical perspective and to assess the role of value congruence in a model incorporating meaningfulness of work, burnout, and change. A number of questions raised in the literature formed the basis of the analytical exploration. While light is shed on some of these questions, no one method of assessing value congruence can be recommended: different value congruence measures predicted diverse organizational outcomes. Structural equation modeling confirmed the mediating role of burnout in a model incorporating work meaningfulness, burnout, and acceptance of organizational change. As well, the role of the various value congruence measures in the model was established. The problems, as well as the importance, of assessing value congruence are discussed.